Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL | |||
| 05/30/2006 | 172000 | 2 | 05/05/2006 |
| The vehicle, a 2000 dodge ram 2500 24 valve turbo cummins 5.7 liter diesel pickup truck, suddenly stalled and the engine shut down completely while the vehicle was in motion on a state highway traveling at approximately 65 mph. the vehicle, which has power steering and power brakes was difficult and dangerous to stop. ultimately the vehicle was towed to the dealership where it was determined that a fuel lift pump and primary injection pump failed. the primary injection pump, a bosch mod. vp44, relies on fuel for lubrication. the fuel lift pump, which is placed forward of the fuel tank several feet, is poorly designed. the design requires to pump to both suck and pump, ultimately overworking itself. in a very short time, the pump becomes over-stressed and fails. failure of the fuel lift pump causes immediate loss of lubrication to the primary injection pump, destroying the unit. the vehicle was ultimately repaired at the dealership with parts purchased independently. the dealership quoted a bosch factory remanufactured replacement pump at $2,600. a replacement bosch vp44 pump, remanufactured by the bosch factory, was purchased from a local diesel specialty store for $1,100, more than $1,500 less than if purchased from the dealer. a new lift pump was installed and the new injection pump was installed for a total cost of $2,300, before towing, which was an additional $250. in speaking a technician at the local diesel shop, he indicated that cummins and dodge have since changed the position of the lift pump in the new model trucks, but that the problem is persistent in model years 1998-2002. individuals truck owners have found a work-around that eliminates the problem. that work around is to place the fuel lift pump either in the fuel tank, or, next to and below the fuel tank. this work around, while not acknowledged by dodge, was also suggested by the dodge mechanics at the dealership. they acknowledged that the placement of the fuel lift pump is a problem. *nm | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | |||
| 12/20/1999 | 1 | ||
| Consumer has been having a problem with vehicle since 3 days after purchasing it. vehicle will start up, but cuts off when in reverse. dealer was suppose to be fixing it. they said fuel was bad during winter. computer in engine will not allow enough fuel to keep engine running.*ak the dealer tried to replace the computer, but when the problem got worse, he put back in the original computer. the consumer states that this problem is a major safety issue since the extreme temperatures are life threatning if the vehcile stops runing suddenly. *yh | |||
| 12/10/1999 | 1 | 12/10/1999 | |
| While driving truck pulls badly to right. dealer told consumer it would straighten up. consumer states there suppose to be a recall on vehicle.*ak the right front wheel assembly fell off due to weld failure. the vehicles surges forward randomly. there was smell of fuel inside the cab when windows are up. the steering box had failed and replaced. tie rods and motor compartment seal failed. the customer had returned the truck to the dealer because of numerous problems. *yh | |||